You can fall in love with this profession: interview with Mariann Szalavics, Deputy NAV President

It came to the National Tax and Customs Administration five years ago. It is his first job in the administration and he says it's a job he can fall in love with. Mariann Szalavics, deputy chair of the (NAV) resource management department, told HR Portal that in recruitment they focus on targeting young people through job fairs and social media, and want to lower the average age to 47. They recruit 600-800 employees a year. The deputy chairman told HR Portal what jobs the NAV is looking for new colleagues for and what it offers them as employers.

How many people work at the NAV? What are the most common jobs?

The National Tax and Customs Administration employs 18 000 000 people and is a two-tier organisation. Specialised management is carried out by the Central Management, while the tasks defined by law are carried out by the tax and customs directorates based in the counties and the Directorate General for Criminal Investigation, and by specialised bodies of the NAV. Of the 18,000,000 employees, about 4,000 work as tax officials, the rest as clerks.

There is a very wide range of positions, with almost everyone able to find a field that appeals to them. For example, finance officers work as patrol officers, law enforcement officers, customs officers, border customs officers, investigators and crime correspondents. Recruitment for jobs in finance and IT is ongoing. The biggest surprise on the labour market is usually our colleagues in chemical engineering, musicians and doctors.

Where and how are you recruiting from?

Each year 600-800 colleagues join the organisation. We put a lot of emphasis on reaching young people, in spring we participate in four major job fairs - BME, BGE Faculty of Finance and Accounting, HVG, ELTE Career Day. This year, there will be recruitment days in Szekszárd, Békéscsaba, Szeged and Ózd. Face-to-face meetings are important because many people are not familiar with the tasks of the NAV - many people almost only associate us with the collection of social security contributions or motor vehicle tax. Our big advantage is that we can receive candidates from all over the country. Among other things, the prerequisites are medical fitness, no criminal record, Hungarian citizenship, and for tax officials, psychological and physical fitness.

Special emphasis is placed on reaching out to secondary school students in class or on career orientation days, even by adding a weapons and dog demonstration to the programme. We have a long-standing presence on social media. We now have a NAV profile not only on Facebook and YouTube, but also on TikTok and Instagram, where we showcase our achievements and recruitment posts.

Our aim is also to increase the number of students enrolled in our full-time courses at the Faculty of Law Enforcement of the National University of Public Service, which are designed to train new tax officers. In the academic year 2024/25, we will start full-time training in two specialisations - financial investigator and customs and law enforcement - in the basic course of financial law enforcement. Students enrolled in the four-year training programme will be recruited as officers and will be entitled to a monthly salary of HUF 326 000 for the duration of their training, which may be supplemented by other additional allowances. No tuition fees, free for the first year, then reduced accommodation in the dormitory, meals and equipment.

How much can you earn at the NAV?

The salaries of employees are determined in accordance with Act CXXX of 2020 on the Legal Status of Personnel of the National Tax and Customs Administration. The salary depends on the length of previous employment, the job title, and the allowances for the job title. The salary is accompanied by various allowances. Permanent allowances include, for example, a commuting allowance, a housing allowance on a case-by-case basis, and, for finance officers, a clothing allowance of HUF 96 625 per year from the second year. There are also cafeteria allowances, travel allowances, a reduced mobile phone tariff package, a bank account package and, on a case-by-case basis, social assistance. Other benefits include holiday allowances, free specialist medical care, the services of the Defence Hospital and internal training. Among the reimbursable benefits, I would mention the housing construction and purchase subsidy with an interest-free employer loan.

How challenging is it to attract IT professionals who can earn more in the competitive sector?

It is difficult to compete with competitive salary offers not only in IT but also in economics, public procurement, law. However, fringe benefits, a good community, professional work that keeps pace with progress, and long-term stable employment can help make us attractive to them. You can fall in love with this profession. That's what happened to me, I hadn't worked in public administration before.

What are the NAV's objectives for this year from an HR perspective, what are they working on?

Recruitment aims to secure the right number of new employees with the right skills and attitude, but I also attach particular importance to retaining those already working for us. We want to be as attractive a place to work as possible, so we are always working on something new to ensure better and better working conditions. For example, we are now working on a new incentive scheme for individuals and the organisation. It is planned to be ready by the end of the first semester and I hope it will help with recruitment. This year, we are revamping our training system, which has become more framework-driven.

Note:

Mariann Szalavics has spent a total of 15 years in the competitive sector, 8 of which in banking, in a senior position. In 2013, she moved from the competitive sector to the public sector, becoming the CFO of Volánbus. After a change in organisation, she was appointed Head of Finance and Accounting, Controlling and Human Resources and Development. From March 2019 she was appointed Director General of the NAV's Department of Management and Human Resources, and from 15 April 2020 she will be Deputy President of the Central Management for Resource Management. He will oversee, among other things, the operation of the Human Resources department.

How the NAV pays as an employer

Mariann Szalavics mentioned that the salary of NAV employees is being developed by Act CXXX of 2020. We have looked at the annex to the law to see the itemized salaries. As a graduate in a regional body, the starting basic salary in grade I, A, is between 340,000 and 600,000 HUF gross. In category C, it is between HUF 500 000 and 760 000. The amounts are somewhat higher for central bodies. The two figures are HUF 400-660 thousand and HUF 560-820 thousand respectively.

$\"NAV,$

Area Subscriptions

The salary step jumps up by 20,000 forints every 8 years.

$\"NAV,$

Management salaries

For managerial posts, the salary range for a head of department in a regional body is between 600,000 and 1.1 million HUF, and for a head of division between 710,000 and 1.3 million HUF. In a central body, a director general earns between 1.25 and 1.9 million HUF, while a deputy president earns between 1.45 and 2.1 million HUF.

Picture of Mariann Szalavics